Self-supporting nanopore membranes with controlled pore size and shape.

Self-supporting membranes containing either isolated or organized arrays of nanosized pores have been prepared using a nonlithographic approach by coupling sol-gel processing, thin film preparation, and templating. Specifically, polystyrene latex spheres were doped into a hybrid sol prepared from tetraethoxysilane and dimethyldiethoxysilane and the resultant sol spin cast on a sacrificial support. Upon removal of the template and the sacrificial support, the self-supporting nanopore membranes were transferred to glass for characterization by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Through variations in the thickness of the membranes and the size of the polystyrene latex spheres, the geometry (cylinder-like to asymmetric-like) and the dimensions of the nanopores were altered. Pores with diameters that range from 35 to 2100 nm, aspect ratios (defined as the top pore diameter divided by the bottom pore diameter) from 1-4, and depths (effective film thickness) from 50 to 1500 nms have been prepared using templates that range in diameter from 100 to 3100 nm. The method described employs "wet-chemistry", is highly versatile, and is easily amenable to modification by utilizing templates of different sizes and geometries to create stable membranes with different pore geometries and sizes that can be used as platforms for nanofiltration and/or chemical sensors.